The present invention relates to an apparatus for simultaneously disposing tubular labels on a plurality of bottles, or containers, and, more particularly, to fiber optic cables for use in transferring control signals between two data handling devices thereon.
Sleeves or tubular labels having an endless shape have shown themselves to be particularly attractive for use as labels for bottle or containers. Such sleeves or tubular labels are most typically pre-printed plastic labels formed from thin flexible plastic film and these printed labels, commonly referred to as sleeve labels or tubular labels, have found wide use as labels for blow-molded plastic containers such as, for example, multi-liter soft drink bottles, other beverage bottles, and detergent chemical containers. A number of apparatus are available to place such labels on containers. One example of such an apparatus is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/918,211 filed on Jul. 21, 1992, now allowed on Sep. 21, 1993 which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.
These machines are typically controlled via two data handling devices which are typically computers, such as programmable logic controllers (PLC). One PLC is usually situated on the rotating carousel portion of the machine and the other PLC is usually positioned off the rotating portion of the machine. Information preferably is transferred between the data handling devices via signals through fiber optic cable. In transferring these signals between the first PLC positioned on the carousel and the second PLC, difficulties arise with the tangling of the fiber optic cables due to the rotating arrangement.
One suggestion to eliminate a similar problem occurring on knitting machines is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,587,812 to Brega. Brega employs a gap between a first fiber optic cable and a second fiber optic cable to avoid tangling of the cables due to the relative rotation of the cables. However, the Brega system can transmit information in only one direction at any one time. This limitation makes Brega unsuitable for many applications requiring simultaneous dual transmission.